If you’re hiring an advisor to pick investments that will outperform the market, the answer is probably no. There’s no evidence that financial advisors’ recommendations add value in this way even if their advice were free. Add a 1% advisory fee and you’ll probably underperform the market. There are also now a host of “robo-advisors” that will help you put together and manage a customized portfolio of low cost index funds for a much lower fee. However, here are some services that may be worth paying a financial advisor for: Read more

At the heart of the American culture is a sense of wanting to be free and independent, yet many find themselves slaves to their finances. It could be mounting medical bills, credit card debt, or simply an inability to save for future goals. If you’re like me, you don’t want to owe other people money, and you certainly don’t want to work for the rest of your life so how do we break free from these financial chains? It starts by declaring war on your financial adversaries. In the spirit of July 4th, here are a few things you can do to win your “financial” independence: Read more

Most of us would agree that it’s important to schedule regular medical and dental check-ups at least once per year. Whether or not we actually follow through with those wellness visits is another story. I admit to recently realizing that I am long overdue with the scheduling of my annual check-up so last week I dedicated an entire 15 minutes to the schedule so I could get those “should be” routine visits on the calendar. Read more

If you voted for your congressman then they’re great but the rest are bums and if you voted against him then he’s a crook like all the rest. The same feelings are often held about financial advisors. How can the industry have such a bad reputation if so many people think that they have the only good one? Read more

I consider it a privilege to be a part of such an amazing team here at Financial Finesse.It has now officially been four years since I made the decision to leave my financial planning practice to join the financial wellness movement and I couldn’t be happier with that decision. I’m also pretty stoked to always have a group of CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals available to provide me with a second opinion on my own financial decisions or to just help me validate that I am on the right path with my personal financial life plan. Read more

My apologies if you haven’t watched the Game of Thrones season finale yet. But if you haven’t and you’re a fan, exactly what are you waiting for??? I’ll take a few liberties with the show’s broader themes and hopefully won’t spoil anything that you haven’t already heard or watched. Read more

Both my wife and I earn irregular income as freelance writers. Our yearly income can vary significantly depending on what type of projects, contracts, or gigs we land. Many of our friends in Los Angeles earn their living in a similar fashion in fields like editing, sound design, acting, post-production, or line producing. Salespeople, farmers, contractors, small business owners, and artists will all recognize the challenges of financial planning while earning variable income. Read more

This week is the last in the Financial Check-Up series and the final opportunity to enter your name in a random drawing for a personal financial planning consultation. Multiple entries are acceptable so be sure to like Financial Finesse on Facebook (or like this blog), tweet us on Twitter, or enter your comments below to enter your name for a professionally guided financial check-up. All entries received by Friday, June 19 at 11:59 PM will be entered into the drawing and the winner of the financial planning consultation will be announced next week. (If the winner prefers to “pay it forward” the consultation is transferable and may be gifted to a friend or family member.) Read more

It is week 3 of the Financial Check-Up Challenge and I’ve heard from readers who are participating in the challenge. I’ve also heard from others who basically told me, “I get it Scott. It’s important to check in occasionally to assess our financial health but LIFE HAPPENED and I didn’t get a chance.” Read more

Earlier this week, I spoke to a couple of callers to our Financial Helpline. One was a woman who had just inherited some money and wasn’t sure what to do with it and the other was a man who wanted a complete “financial checkup.” While seemingly very different questions, both involved looking for vulnerabilities or opportunities in their financial situations. Want to do the same thing? In honor of our 4 Week Financial Check-up Challenge, here are some questions to ask yourself: Read more